Help, Starting a Protein Plan

[Spearchunker]

Decided to add more corn feeders and some minerals.

Then approx 3 ea 10 acre summer plots spread out in the existing wheat feilds.

Appreciate the input fellas.

Sean

[DEADEYE1]

protein

Come February I plan to start a protein plan on my 12k corporate lease. Yes I know it will be expensive..

As of now thoughts are 5 ea 2k# stations.

My question is best way to purchase and fill them. Obviously I don't want #40 bags, and need suggestions on filling system.

We have sooo many deer I think its best for a timed system to save some money.

Anyone that can share input on large ranch feed would be appreciated.

Lease is in Hall Co near Childress.

Much appreciated,

Sean

No way 5 protein feeders for 12,000 acres is anywhere near enough. If you are going to feed protein then don't chinch and feed free choice. You are not going to get the benefit if you limit their eating!!!!!! Go big or go home!!!! If you can afford to lease the 12,000 acres you can afford more protein feeders!!!!! If you had 1 protein for every 500 acres you would need 24 proteins Buy more!!!!!!!

[DPElite]

No way 5 protein feeders for 12,000 acres is anywhere near enough. If you are going to feed protein then don't chinch and feed free choice. You are not going to get the benefit if you limit their eating!!!!!! Go big or go home!!!! If you can afford to lease the 12,000 acres you can afford more protein feeders!!!!! If you had 1 protein for every 500 acres you would need 24 proteins Buy more!!!!!!!

This ^^^


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[IkemanTX]

We have 3 winter wheat feilds, approx 400 acres now. Owner only plants wheat for cattle. We will not turn cows on them until we are all done hunting.

What could he plant for me after the wheat? Problem is the drought out here, hate to risk the planting and no rain..

Are you asking about a summer planting, I’m assuming?
It depends on when he terminated the wheat, or harvests if he lets it go to grain.
You could do a blend with several grass family plants like sorghum or Sudan grass and mix some Sunn hemp and cowpeas in there for the deer. He could even get a summer grazing in there right before planting back into wheat.

Gabe Brown is a farmer/rancher in the dakotas who uses diverse blends as cover crops between cash crops, and he does blends that will offer grazing for his cattle as well as simply cover between crops. I think the trick would be to make whatever the owner plants beneficial to both you AND his operation. If you don’t want to do much research of your own, you could give the guys at Greencoverseed.com a call and their experts can recommend a blend. You could do the call alongside the owner so he/she feels comfortable with the plan and fully understands how best to utilize and implement it.

Edit: I think you would get a LOT more nutritional benefit per dollar spent on a high quality planting like I mention above than on protein. If you are looking at just doing the 10 protein stations, I would work really hard at finding a way to get that 400 acres into some kind of summer nutrition.

[Jake]

A few thoughts

I think you should focus on cotton seed. Figure out a large feeder system that can be filled directly by a tractor. It is way easier and cheaper to feed cotton seed.

Food plots are going to be hard to count on in your area and will fail when the deer need them the most. The more years you get good rain in a row, the worse it will be on the herd when you get a drought year.

Not sure about your water situation, but I have seen a good water station every 350 acres really help on fawn survival. A lot of places I see that have preditors under control and still a low fawn crop tend to not have a lot of surface water.

Whitetail deer are a dime a dozen in Texas. Be proud of your mule deer. If you can grow a trophy mule deer in Texas, that is something unique. Give them food and let them reach a mature age.

Sounds like you are asking the right questions. Enjoy the process.

[walker1983]

I have 3, 1000lb free choice protein stations that I feed year round on my 1/2 section in Irion Co. Even w/ 3 stations going, keeping them full by myself is a serious chore.

Setting the cost aside, if i was setting up a protein feeding program on 12000 low fence acres in Hall Co. and wanted to see meaningful results, this is what i would do.

I would set up 1 station per 500 acres with a minimum of a 1000lb free choice feeder in each pen.

Make each pen 8 panels.

Hire the local feed store to come once a month with their feed blower trailer, and fill everything for you. (I'd try and find a local high school kid to build the pens)

I'd also have a heli survey done asap and get a good count of your herd numbers. If you are way over carrying capacity - I'd make it a 2021 priority to get numbers into balance.

I think you are looking at about $25000 in materials to get it rolling (feeders, panels & t-posts) $20% seems to be $12-$14/bag now...

[Spiderpig1776]

This is going to be expensive

[Spiderpig1776]

I have 3, 1000lb free choice protein stations that I feed year round on my 1/2 section in Irion Co. Even w/ 3 stations going, keeping them full by myself is a serious chore.

Setting the cost aside, if i was setting up a protein feeding program on 12000 low fence acres in Hall Co. and wanted to see meaningful results, this is what i would do.

I would set up 1 station per 500 acres with a minimum of a 1000lb free choice feeder in each pen.

Make each pen 8 panels.

Hire the local feed store to come once a month with their feed blower trailer, and fill everything for you. (I'd try and find a local high school kid to build the pens)

I'd also have a heli survey done asap and get a good count of your herd numbers. If you are way over carrying capacity - I'd make it a 2021 priority to get numbers into balance.

I think you are looking at about $25000 in materials to get it rolling (feeders, panels & t-posts) $20% seems to be $12-$14/bag now...

agree with this and you'll spend most of the budget feeding mule deer does that you won't be able to remove